Playful State Offers Upbeat Programs

Eight years ago, John Anderson was managing a Henry Johnson Tire Center in Portsmouth. Today, he's paying the rent with money earned as a professional clown called Poppi.

On April 18, he'll share tricks of his trade with those who register for a workshop called "Just Clowning Around." Anderson will demonstrate the art of clown makeup and costuming beginning at 7 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 6812 River Road, Newport News.

The class is the first of 26 spring workshops to be offered between April 18 and June 16 through Playful State, an upbeat educational program that's the brainchild of Contact Peninsula Inc. Workshops will be taught at various Peninsula locations by experts in the field who are donating their time.

The philosophy behind Playful State is to do more than spread a little sunshine. Classes will average $15 a session, and profits from them will serve as an ongoing fund-raiser for Contact, a 24-hour telephone hotline center that also sponsors community outreach programs like support groups. Playful State monies will be used to expand services in sexual assault and crisis intervention.

The concept of workshops themed to contemporary lifestyle interests isn't new. Three years ago, Norfolk-based Fun University started offering workshops that today include a broad range of subjects, such as massage and wine tasting. Unlike Playful State, Fun U doesn't use the venture as a fund-raiser.

Playful State classes are designed to be quick hits - given in a single two-to-three hour period. Only one spring workshop meets twice.

"People are real busy. They don't want to commit a lot of time," says Sue Chance, a Contact counselor and Playful State coordinator. "We figured this would be good preventive mental health, a fun type of thing to keep people in a good frame of mind. That ties into the Contact mission."

Playful State planners expect their courses to have another draw: "I think people are eager to meet other people," says Gail Robertson, Contact's executive director. That applies to both couples and singles seeking to enlarge their circle of friends, she says.

Robertson, who also has a private counseling practice, will teach a workshop called "The Art of Chit-Chat" 7-9 p.m. May 15 at Associates of Hampton Roads Inc., 732 Thimble Shoals Blvd., Newport News. The course will include listening and observation skills. "This is for people who are going into any kind of situation, whether it's an Exchange Club meeting or a cocktail party," she says.

Two other Playful State presenters include:

* Helen Spaetzel, who will teach Ukranian egg decorating at 7 p.m. May 22 at The Needle Works, Willow Oaks Village Square, Hampton.

"These are different from the Faberge eggs," Spaetzel says. "Faberge eggs were made for kings and queens. The Ukranian eggs are really a peasant craft. They decorated these eggs and gave them as symbols of love and caring and rebirth." The Ukranian decorated eggs feature beeswax dyes applied successively ranging from light to dark.

* Andy Micusezweski, chef at Kingsmill Restaurant, who will help participants cook a classic Italian meal starting at 1 p.m. April 23 at Portofino restaurant in Tabb. Participants will eat the finished meal.

Using fresh and correct ingredients and keeping preparation simple are key to what Micusezweski calls modern interpretation of Italian cuisine.